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Polymer or Steel?

6771 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  -Tj-, 
skybright
Does anyone know if the Sky will have the Polymer panels that has been Saturn's signiture trade mark?
No where can I see the info on what the body is made of. :confused:
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The Sky will be hyrdoformed steel like the Solstice.

Unfortunately (in my opinion) Saturn is moving away from the polymer body panels. The Ion is due to be updated within a year or so, and when it receives that update production is rumored to be moving to the Lordstown OH plant that makes the other cars on that platform (Cobalt, HHR). It will be steel too (if the rumor is true that it is moving to Lordstown assembly). This news was in the Detroit News about a day or two ago, or it was a linked article in the Detroit News Auto Insider website. I tried a quick search and didn't come up with it.

That would leave just the Vue as a polymer vehicle, and the only one built in Spring Hill.
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i knew this would be happening, but i was just thinking... i bet the steel will be heavier than the polymer, so i wonder if saturn will really have to release a newer model vehicle that is less nimble than its earlier model. so do you think the suspension/drivetrain/engine will be mildly upgraded as well? i dont see them spending all the money to upgrade, but at the same time, i can imagine there will be some out there who will notice the difference in handling and performance.
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Fformula88 said:
The Sky will be hyrdoformed steel like the Solstice.

Unfortunately (in my opinion) Saturn is moving away from the polymer body panels. The Ion is due to be updated within a year or so, and when it receives that update production is rumored to be moving to the Lordstown OH plant that makes the other cars on that platform (Cobalt, HHR). It will be steel too (if the rumor is true that it is moving to Lordstown assembly). This news was in the Detroit News about a day or two ago, or it was a linked article in the Detroit News Auto Insider website. I tried a quick search and didn't come up with it.

That would leave just the Vue as a polymer vehicle, and the only one built in Spring Hill.
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No, there's still the ION. Polymer panels, small car, quirky styling? Remember?
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swatthefly said:
i knew this would be happening, but i was just thinking... i bet the steel will be heavier than the polymer, so i wonder if saturn will really have to release a newer model vehicle that is less nimble than its earlier model. so do you think the suspension/drivetrain/engine will be mildly upgraded as well? i dont see them spending all the money to upgrade, but at the same time, i can imagine there will be some out there who will notice the difference in handling and performance.
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I don't have time to check it out, but IIRC, the ION is heavier than it's fraternal twin, the steel-bodied Cobalt. It is AMAZING how much of a difference in sound quality, and feel, steel makes.
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kappaman said:
It is AMAZING how much of a difference in sound quality, and feel, steel makes.
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no kidding! i prefer steel all the way. even things as small as washing and waxing a car... the wax takes to the steel better. i had one of the earlier saturns and i didnt really like the plastic body panels. i usually park in the back part of lots so i dont really ever worry about door dings. and even if there is a weight difference, no biggie. id consider it a fair trade.
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I prefer steel over plastic, really.

I do worry about dents, and there's no doubt in my mind that over the years, a plastic car treated so-so will look nicer than a steel car with the same treatment. However, for something like the Sky, which is targetted toward an audience who's likely not terribly concerned with the fit and finish of plastic panels, I think steel is a great way to go.

Plus, plastic seems to go hand-in-hand with cheap. It looks cheap and feels cheap. Wax really does seem to take to steel better.

If I'm gonna worry about dents, I wouldn't buy a Sky.
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kappaman said:
No, there's still the ION. Polymer panels, small car, quirky styling? Remember?
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:brentil:

Re-read.

Fformula88 said:
The Ion is due to be updated within a year or so, and when it receives that update production is rumored to be moving to the Lordstown OH plant that makes the other cars on that platform (Cobalt, HHR). It will be steel too (if the rumor is true that it is moving to Lordstown assembly).
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SkyMan 08
I guess people don;t really know the engineering differences between the polymer paneled cars, such as the Saturns and the Fiero. They both have what is called a space frame, it has to be designed to be the complete structural components of the car, the parts that make the car rigid enough to withstand an accident too. then the Polymer panels are added only as a skin to give it form and insulation from the elements. A steel bodied car uses the body panels as part of the structure, thereby saving weight... that is why the Cobalt is Lighter than a comparable Ion...
I remember this when the Fiero was developed back in the early 80's that was one of the things the press hit the Fiero on, it was too heavy compaire to the Fiat X-19
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Fformula88 said:
:brentil:

Re-read.
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Darn speed reading class!!!! :D
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kappaman said:
Darn speed reading class!!!! :D
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:D Maybe I wasn't as clear as I should have been either. I guess sleeping through my college writing courses wasn't the best of ideas. :banghead: :D
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classic66vair said:
I guess people don;t really know the engineering differences between the polymer paneled cars, such as the Saturns and the Fiero. They both have what is called a space frame, it has to be designed to be the complete structural components of the car, the parts that make the car rigid enough to withstand an accident too. then the Polymer panels are added only as a skin to give it form and insulation from the elements. A steel bodied car uses the body panels as part of the structure, thereby saving weight... that is why the Cobalt is Lighter than a comparable Ion...
I remember this when the Fiero was developed back in the early 80's that was one of the things the press hit the Fiero on, it was too heavy compaire to the Fiat X-19
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I think your right. I have always been asked if I am worried about dying in an accident in my Fiero because it is just plastic. People think it will squash like a water bottle. I have to explain the frame underneath, and that it was actually one of the more rigid cars on the road in it’s day. I have also had the unfortunate experience to have been in an accident in a Fiero. I T-boned a Ford Taurus that pulled in front of me in an 87 Fiero, I was doing about 45. That Taurus was turned into a horseshoe and totaled. I drove the fiero away. It suffered some minor front end frame damage behind the impact bar and of course cosmetic damage, but overall the frame was still straight and the car was repairable. I was also unharmed. I’d hate to see what would happen to some modern cars if they hit another car doing 45!

Tj said:
Plus, plastic seems to go hand-in-hand with cheap. It looks cheap and feels cheap. Wax really does seem to take to steel better.
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I always thought the opposite. This probably has a lot to do with the quality of paint on the plastic. Saturn probably wasn’t spending the most on paint for S series cars over the years. Corvettes on the other hand tend to look very good.

Also, I think the paint lasts longer on a plastic car. It doesn’t seem to oxidize and break down as quickly. At least in my experience (again, it probably depends on the paint. I never owned a Saturn, but have experience with the Fiero as well as a plastic bodied Trans Sport.)
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Fformula88 said:
I always thought the opposite. This probably has a lot to do with the quality of paint on the plastic. Saturn probably wasn’t spending the most on paint for S series cars over the years. Corvettes on the other hand tend to look very good.

Also, I think the paint lasts longer on a plastic car. It doesn’t seem to oxidize and break down as quickly. At least in my experience (again, it probably depends on the paint. I never owned a Saturn, but have experience with the Fiero as well as a plastic bodied Trans Sport.)
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i guess when i said that about the wax/paint on plastic vs metel, i wasnt really referring to any particular make or model. ive seen a lot of cars up close. i am an insurance agent and i have to inspect a lot of cars. i have seen many times where cars will have metel fenders/hood/trunk but plastic bumpers. the colors are almost never the same and the bumpers almost always have a less vibrant feel. not really noticable unless you are really looking for it though. i think saturn has improved in the last decade, but i would still rather have my metal. btw, i didnt realize that the corvette had the polywhateverplatic material. i thought it was fiberglass. well, all that to say that what i had said was just my opinion. :)
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Fformula88 said:
I always thought the opposite. This probably has a lot to do with the quality of paint on the plastic. Saturn probably wasn’t spending the most on paint for S series cars over the years. Corvettes on the other hand tend to look very good.

Also, I think the paint lasts longer on a plastic car. It doesn’t seem to oxidize and break down as quickly. At least in my experience (again, it probably depends on the paint. I never owned a Saturn, but have experience with the Fiero as well as a plastic bodied Trans Sport.)
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At least from what I've seen metal seems to have a better finish somehow. Even at a show a couple years ago here I got to look at a showroom Corvette up close and the plastic back-end seemed ever-so-slightly different from the rest of the car. Like you said, though, probably has a lot to do with the quality of the paint.
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